Can spout soldering machine



Dec. 16, 1947. P. E. PEARSON CAN SPOU'I SOLDERING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Original Filed Dec. 5, 1958 Pa/uJ E. Pearson may Dec. 16, 1947. P. E.PEARSON I CAN SPOUT SOLDERING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ori inal FiledDec. s, 1933 Paul .E Pearson Patented Dec. 16, 1947 CAN SPQU-TvSOLDERING MACHINE Paul E'. Pearson, Chicago, 111., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York'Original application December 5', 1938, SeriaI No.- Z4. 8 n w t n N2,285,8,72, d ted June 9, I942. Divided and this application December19, 1941, S'eriaf No. 423,688

2 Claims.

The invention relates generally to soldering machines and primarilyseeks to provide certain new and useful improvements in soldering:machines particularly adapted for soldering spouts or similarprotuberances on cans.

This case is a divisiorr of the: co -pending application fior U. S.Letters Patent, Serial No. 244,085, filed by Paul E. Pearson on December5, 1938, now Patent 2,285,872, issued June 9, 1942', and coveringcertain new and useful improvements in Canspout solderingi machines,namely, a solder feeder structure.

An object of the invention is to provide a support for a can. having aspout applied thereto, a soldering iron spacedfrom the support andhaving provision for receiving and centering the spout, means forbringing about relative movement between the support and the iron toeffectively position the iron and center the spout, and means torheating the iron.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed embodying a novel turret structure including vertically spacedturret portions one equipped with a plurality of equidistantly spacedcan supports and the other equipped with a like number oi solderingirons aligned with the supports, means for indexing the turret structureto serially present the sup ports ata soldering station, means forbringing about relative movement between the supports and the associatedirons at the soldering station for effectively presenting the irons tothe cans, and means for heating the irons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a turret structure of thecharacter stated in which thesold'ering iron bearing turret portionfixedly supports the irons and in which the can supports are movabletoward and from the irons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel heating means foreach soldering iron, each said means including a thermostatic control.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by followingthe detailed description, the appended claims; and the several viewsillustrated in the accompanying drawings,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a: vertical section of the machine taken through the axis ofthe turrets and the soldering station.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 on Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a. detail vertical cross-section taken on the line 3-4, on:Figure 1.

2 Figure l. is a horizontal section taken on the line 4+4 on Figure 1.

Ehe machine herein disclosed as illustrativev of one practicalembodiment of the invention includes a supporting frame 5- having atable top 6 formed with an upstanding bearing sleeve 1'.

A shaft 8 is secured within the sleeve 1' and rotatably supports a lowerturret portion 8 having an upstanding bearing sleeve [0. The turretportion 9 is indexed station by station: about the shait it through themediumof at Geneva gearing equipment. This equipment includes a Genevawheel i i actuated by a rotati've advancing element l2 and lock it, theparts I12, I3 being secured toa shaft l4 which is driven through bevelgears t5 and Hi from a main driveshaft IT connected to a source of powersuch as an electric motor l8 preferably secured to the frame top 8.

The turret portion 9 is provided with a plurality of equidistantlyspaced can supports, each including a base I9 mounted on a stem 20 whichisvertically slidable in a bearing sleeve 2! carried by the turretportion 9. Each base 19- carries a can holding and aligning member 22provided with upper and lower U-shaped arms which together providecanaligning recesses 23; Each aligning member 2 2 is secured to the base bya single long screw 24 and is restrained from angular movemost about itssecuring screw 24 by a pin 25 recessed into the base lit.

The cansupports are adapted to be raised into andlowered from cansoldering position through the medium of cam follower rollers 26 whichengage a cylindrical plate cam 21 having a point of maximum liftdisposed in alignment with the can soldering station, and a point ofminimum lift just preceding the can discharge station.

Anupper turret portion 28", vertically spaced abovetheturret portion 9and having a depending sleeve 29, is slid'ably mounted on the sleeve Hiand is spline'd thereto. The spaced relation of the turret portions 3and 25 can be varied at will through the m dium of a urn kle scr w 6 iposed between the turrets and t reada ly en agins the. respe tivesleeves th reof in the manner i lustrated in Figur ,1- V

The pper turret p tion. is carries a plurali y or eguidistantly spacedsolde ing iron assem lies 5 which are disposed in vertical. alignmentwith the can supp rts. E h older ng iron a m ly includes a hollow asin 3and a so der n iron 33 having a shank as of reduced diameter, Thsoldering iron is provided with e conifo in note as and an axiallydisposed snout-recline and 3 aligning bore 36 having a counterbore 31 atits lower end.

The shank 34 of the iron extends into the caslng chamber and is embracedby an electrical heating unit 38 secured thereto by a clamping nut 39threadably engaged with the shank. A thermostat control unit 46 of anysuitable type is provided for maintaining a definite temperature in eachiron, and is disposed to one side of the respective heating unit 38 andhas its lower end projecting below the bottom of the casing 32. A clamp4| formed of heat conducting metal joins the lower end of eachthermostat with the respective iron 33 to thereby provide for a flow ofheat from the iron to the thermostat and also to maintain the thermostatin position, as shown in Figure 3.

Can spout stripping means are provided in each soldering iron assembly,and each said means includes a rod 42 slidably mounted in the respectiveiron bore 36 and having a short bore 43 in its lower end for receivingthe upper end of a can spout. The upper end of each rod supports aweight 44 which causes the rod to gravitate in a manner serving to stripthe spout from the bores 36, 31 after the soldering operation iscompleted.

Each soldering iron assembly 3| is slidably mounted on the turretportion 28, as at 45, for limited vertical adjustment. Each casing 32 isprovided near its lower end with an inwardly extending lug 46. Avertically disposed captive screw 41, having a nut 48 secured thereon,is threadably engaged with each lug 46, and an opening 49 in the top ofthe turret over each screw 4'] enables the insertion of a screw-driverfor manipulating the screws. A leaf spring 56 is secured to each casing32 and engages the respective nut 48 for yieldably retaining theelevating screw against rotation.

In order that electricity can be supplied to the soldering ironassemblies when the apparatus is in operation, a contact ring assemblyis provided which permits a flow of electricity from the stationaryportion of the machine to the rotating portion. The contact assembly Elincludes asquared stud 52 secured to the shaft 8 and extending upwardlytherefrom. A disk 53 is mounted on the stud 52 and supports a pair ofpivotally mounted metal contacts 54, 55, The contact 55 is disposed in aplane above that of the contact 54. The contacts 54, 55 are yieldablyurged, as by springs 56, into individual contact with the respectiveupper and lower metallic contact rings 51, 58 which are in turn securedto the inner periphery of an annulus 59 formed from non-conductingmaterial and secured to the upper turret portion 28. A plurality ofupper and. lower contact sockets 66, 6! are radially disposed around theannulus 59 and serve as means for conducting current from the contactrings 51, 56 to, the exterior of the annulus. Electrical conductors 62having plug connections 63 with the sockets 66, 6| lead to the heatingand control elements of the soldering iron assemblies 3!, the thermostatunits 46 being connected in series with the respective iron heatingelements in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. Electricity is suppliedby suitable conductors attached to the contacts 54, 55. See Figure 4.

It is to be understood that any approved means can be employed forfeeding solder to the irons, but there is herein disclosed a preferredform of such means. The particular solder feeding means hereindisclosed, however, does not form a part of the invention claimed hereinbut is claimed in the parent application of Paul E. Pearson hereinbeforereferred to, namely, Serial No. 244,085, filed December 5, 1938, and forthis reason this solder feeding means will be referred to only brieflyherein.

The mechanism for feeding predetermined amounts of solder to the ironsas they are presented at the soldering station by the turret structure,carrying them in suitable superposed relation with the cans andassembled spouts, is disposed to one side of the turret structureassembly and includes a vertically extending telescopic shaft casing 64terminating at its upper end in a chamber forming casing enlargement 65.A shaft 66 is journaled in the casing and carries a bevel gear 61secured at its lower end which meshes with a similar gear on the maindrive shaft ll. At its upper end the shaft 66 is connected in drivingrelation, through an eccentric and strap connection 68, with a slide 69which is reciprocated in a rectilinear path toward and from the turretstructures hereinbefore described.

The casing 65 is equipped with arm extensions 16 between which aresupported gear-connected, coacting solder feeding rolls 1| between whicha strip of solder S is directed from the supply roll '12 which issupported above the casing 65 in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 ofthe drawings. The solder strip, fed predetermined amounts through therolls H in a manner soon to be described, is directed through a suitabledelivery or guide tube 13 against the coniform nose portion 35 of theirons 33 as they are serially presented at the soldering station. One ofthe rolls H is equipped with a driving ratchet l4, and the slide 69carries a pivotally mounted bell crank pawl member 15, the effective armof which is normally disposed out of engagement with the ratchet. Theslide also supports a casing 16 in which an actuator rod TI is slidablymounted and extends beyond the casing at one end for engagement with acan disposed in position for a soldering operation and at its other endfor engagement with the shaft casing 64. The rod 11 has slip connection,as at 18, with the downwardly extending leg of the pawl 15 so that eachtime the slide moves away from the turret structure the rod 16 isengaged with the casing 64 to displace the pawl from effectiveengagement with the ratchet, and each time the slide moves toward theturret structure and the rod 1'! engages a can positioned for asoldering operation the pawl will be placed into effective engagementwith the ratchet by arresting of movement of the rod by this can contactand continued movement of the slide will cause the pawl to impart solderstrip feeding movements to the rolls II. Since the pawl 15 normallyreciprocates back and forth with the slide 69 out of position foreffectively engaging the ratchet and is placed in effective contact withthe ratchet only when the rod 11 engages a can positioned for asoldering operation, it will be apparent that no solder will be fedunless a can is presented for a soldering operation.

In using the herein described apparatus, the spouts are first manuallydipped into soldering flux and then applied to the cansto complete theassembly. Then the can and spout assemblies are manually or otherwisefed onto the individual supports from the supporting table 19, andthence serially to and from the soldering station, after which they maybe automatically discharged as by an ejecting cam 86 into a receptacleor onto a discharge conveyor provided fo the purpose.

The machine herein disclosed may be hand-fed and cam-stripped as stated,or there may be combined with it any suitable form of mechanical feedingand discharging mechanism, an example of which may be found in theUnited States Letters Patent to Coyle et a1. 1,885,992, issued November1, 1932.

It is of course to be understood that the details of structure andarrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a turret structurecomprising a soldering iron supporting member and a can supportingmember rotatable about a common axis, means for positively moving saidmembers along said axis to vary the spacing thereof, soldering ironsindividually-adjustably mounted on said iron supporting member formovement toward or from said can supporting member, and means forpositively moving each iron on its adjustable mounting, said last namedmeans including 9, lug extending from each iron and equipped with athreaded bore, and a captive screw threaded through each lug andeffective when rotated in one direction or the other to impart movementof adjustment to the respective iron.

2. In a machine of the character described, a turret structurecomprising a soldering iron supporting member and a can supportin memberrotatable about a common axis, means for positively moving said membersalong said axis to vary the spacing thereof, soldering ironsindividually-adjustably mounted on said iron supporting member formovement toward or from said can supporting member, and means forpositively moving each iron on its adjustable mounting, said last namedmeans including 9, lug extending from each iron and equipped with athreaded bore, and a captive screw threaded through each lug andeifective when rotated in one direction or the other to impart movementof adjustment to the respective iron, a non-circular element on eachscrew, and means yieldably engaging each said non-circular element toprevent inadvertent rotation of the respective screw.

PAUL E. PEARSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 421,043 Brooks Feb, 11, 1890443,749 Dewey Dec. 30, 1890 523,091 Wagner July 17, 1894 689,056 BesseDec. 17, 1901 779,526 Cerruti Jan. 10, 1905 862,493 Marshall Aug. 6,1907 908,373 Ayars Dec. 29, 1908 931,262 Brookes Aug. 1'7, 19091,131,726 Musher Mar. 16, 1915 4,193,647 Westland Aug, 8, 1916 1,264,844Norton et a1. Apr. 30, 1918 1,367,407 McClurkin Feb. 9, 1920 1,502,773Gueritey July 29, 1924 1,600,467 Gray Sept. 21, 1926 1,885,992 Coyle eta1 Nov. 1, 1932 1,891,851 Troyer et a1. Dec. 20, 1932 1,929,339 Troyeret a1 Oct. 3, 1933 2,101,445 Moore Dec. 7, 1937 2,167,654 HothersallAug. 1, 1939

